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When part of a healthy diet, research has shown that moderate amounts of olive oil may help you to reduce excess body fat, especially around the abdomen.
Olive oil is a prime component of the Mediterranean diet. In the 1960s, researchers found that the people of Crete consumed a great deal of salt and fat, and also a lot of plant foods. They were living longer than the Japanese, who were also eating a lot of salt but whose diet was low in fat and lower in plant foods.
The people of Crete had lower rates of stroke, stomach cancer, heart disease and other cancers. Researchers also noticed that people living in countries around the Mediterranean had a lower incidence of heart disease, despite their high intake of monounsaturated fats -- particularly olive oil.
The beneficial effects of olive oil are due to both its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative substances. Studies have shown that people who consumed 25 milliliters (mL) - about 2 tablespoons - of virgin olive oil daily for 1 week showed less oxidation of LDL cholesterol and higher levels of antioxidant compounds, particularly phenols, in the blood.
But while all types of olive oil are sources of monounsaturated fat, EXTRA VIRGIN olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives, contains higher levels of antioxidants -- vitamin E in particular -- because it is less processed. Here are just some of the health benefits you can gain from consuming extra virgin olive oil regularly:
Melrose have oils for specific needs and uses. For instance, it is
not generally known that it is only in Extra Virgin and Virgin Olive
Oil that the antioxidant polyphenols and squalane are present.
In
"Pure" and "Light" Olive oil, these natural ingredients have been
removed in the refining process. Always use Extra Virgin Olive Oil for
optimum health and always check the label and the chart which explains
why particular oils are best suited to your needs.
Facts About Fats and Oils
John Finnegan (Author of The Facts about Fats) says: -" Good quality
oils need to be expellor-pressed at temperatures below 45 degrees C and
not solvent extracted. They should not be subjected to high heat
temperatures, to deodourising, bleaching, alkali refining or
winterising processes. They need to be produced by light and oxygen
excluding methods, bottled in containers that prevent the further
exposure to light which causes rancidity and where possible, they
should be produced from organically grown seed."
Benefits
- Unlike other oils, it will not typically upset your critical omega 6:3 ratio and many of the fatty acids in olive oil are actually omega-9 oils that are monounsaturated.
- No other naturally produced oil has as large an amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (mainly oleic acid) as olive oil.
- Your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and HDL (good) levels may be positively affected by a diet which includes olive oil.
- Oleates in the oil may promote and maintain healthy bones and bone development.
- Olive oil also contains vitamins E and K, and polyphenols, which provide you with a defense mechanism that may delay aging and may help protect against certain diseases such as carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, liver disorders, and inflammations.
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